Skip to main content

The Hug

If you were at the 12:00 Easter service at Westside Christian Church you would have witnessed our worship pastor baptizing his son at the end of service. He climbed in the baptistry with all of his clothes on after the final worship song of the service. His son didn't know he was going to do the baptism, he thought the kids ministry leader was doing it. 

After he completed baptizing him, he gave his son the biggest hug while the church applauded. It was one of those where a kid jumps in the arms of the parent. It ends up being a full body hug.  

I thought it was a perfect ending to Easter. The pure love of a father for his son, raw and real, right before our eyes. The same love and joy God shared after Jesus was baptized. Matthew 2:17 says, "And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" 

God's love for us is the same. Because of Jesus' death on the cross and His defeat of death with the empty tomb, we are restored. We are one family, one body because of Jesus. And our heavenly father loves us deeply. 

I can't think of a better way to wrap up our celebration of the resurrection of our Savior. God's love is so grand that He defeats death through the death and resurrection of His son. 

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Matt

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Anchor House: Week 6 Buried Treasure

When I started at Anchor House I committed to write at least one blog per week. Writing is something I enjoy and a way I get to interact with God. I can recall wanting to write about Anchor House in the days before I started, but my knowledge was limited..  To be honest I felt like I knew three things before I joined Anchor House. First,  Anchor House was a mission at Port Manatee (the Seaport, not the jail) Second, I knew it was a mission that my church, Westside Christian Church, supported with our Show Love funds.  Third, I knew God was calling me to serve Him there. However, what happened at Anchor House day to day was something of a mystery to me.   After being here for a few weeks I have learned quite a bit. I know where to look to find out when ships are coming in or departing.  I have learned that I am just tall enough to hit my head where most seafarers don’t. I have learned that flexibility is the key to serving at a seaport. One of th...

Welcome Children

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to Him, and placed the child among them. And He said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." - Matthew 18:1‭-‬5 NIV This past Sunday was simply life-giving at Westside Christian Church. The energy and excitement were palatable. My daughter couldn't wait to get to church. She was excited to worship with her friends and have fun together afterwards.   With the VBS takeover, the church was packed! Sure there were a few seats open, but there was a line of people standing in the back. It is safe to say it was "standing room only". Fitting with the story of Zacchaeus that Pastor Russ shared.   Jes...

Tables

In the communion and offering meditation, Mindy shared a picture of their family's dinner table. She described the numerous activities that happen around that table. The one she said that stuck out the most to me was forgiveness.  There is one particular table in the Bible that comes to mind. It is where a significant moment in our history occurred. At this table, Jesus is dining with his closest followers, just hours before He will be arrested. He gathers with them to partake in the festival of unleavened bread. During this meal, this table is the stage for truth, betrayal, denial, lies, promise, and forgiveness.   As Jesus identifies his betrayer (Matt 26:20-25) and predicts Peter's denial of Him (Matt 26:31-35), He is fully aware of what is to come. He will pay a ransom to free God's people. Even as these bonds of trust and friendship are broken, Jesus doesn't relent. He still breaks the bread and still drinks of the cup. He offers forgiveness, "T...